SOC 47-5012 · Construction and Extraction Occupations · May 2025

How much do Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas make in Charleston, WV?

In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas in Charleston, WV is $51,380. The 10th percentile is $42,670 and the 90th percentile is $73,840. Employment is 30.

Median annual wage

$51,380

10th percentile
$42,670
25th percentile
$46,730
Median
$51,380
75th percentile
$58,140
90th percentile
$73,840
Mean
$55,350

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

A U.S. Air Force firefighter standing beside a fire truck
Senior Airman Stephen Czech, a firefighter at Spangdahlem Air Base, in 2021. Photograph by Staff Sgt. Susan Roberts, U.S. Air Force. Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

Percentile spread

For Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas, the published 10th percentile is $42,670 and the 90th percentile is $73,840. The difference is $31,170, which is 60.7% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.

The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $46,730 to the 75th at $58,140, covers $11,410.

The mean annual wage is $55,350, which sits above the median of $51,380. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Charleston, WV median is 24.3% lower than the national median of $67,890 for Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas. In 2024 national prices the local median is $57,914, which is 14.7% lower than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 9.9% lower than the West Virginia median of $57,020.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Charleston, WV is 88.717, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $51,380 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas at $57,914 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

One other metropolitan area within 200 miles publishes a annual median for Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas. Charleston, WV ranks 2nd of 2 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).

  • Canton-Massillon, OH is 168 miles away, with a median of $63,600 and employment of 50. That median is 23.8% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $71,136, against $57,914 here.

Employment share

Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas accounts for 0.03% of wage-and-salary employment in Charleston, WV (30 of 103,450). Nationally the occupation is 0.01% of employment (12,600 of 155,495,730). The local share is 3.58 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.

Highest-paying jobs in Charleston, WV · Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas by metro · How to read these percentiles · Median and mean · When a wage is not published · How the figures are made · Compare this wage after prices

Questions this page answers

How much do Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas make in Charleston, WV?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas in Charleston, WV is $51,380. The 10th percentile is $42,670 and the 90th percentile is $73,840. Employment is 30.

How does that compare with the national median for Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas?

The local median is 24.3% lower than the national median of $67,890.

What is Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas pay in Charleston, WV after local prices?

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Charleston, WV is 88.717, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $51,380 is $57,914. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.

How does Charleston, WV compare with nearby metros for Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas?

Canton-Massillon, OH is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 168 miles away, at $63,600. Charleston, WV ranks 2nd of 2 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.